Security for doors, "the auto bolt"

[Marcel Huijser]

Ford E350 locks seem pretty easy to break into. I know some have installed slick puck locks to make it more difficult for thieves to get in the van. There is a nice set with brackets (no drilling) for rear and side barn doors. Puck locks for the driver door and passenger door door require drilling though, and they have considerable visual impact on the van.

In searching for alternatives I came across "the auto bolt"
The Auto-Bolt? - The Only Vehicle Deadbolt - Simple : Strong : Secure - Vehicle Anti-theft Deadbolt
It is essentially a remote controlled bolt for all 4 doors of the van.
It wouldn't have a visual impact on the van, which can be seen as an advantage. However, it also doesn't signal to thieves that there is extra protection and that they shouldn't even try, which can be seen as a disadvantage as they may still do damage to the locks.

My question: I don't really see independent reviews of "the auto bolt". Has anyone tried / installed them? Any experiences, good or bad?

Thanks! Marcel

[OutlawImages]

Interesting find Marcel, I am seriously interested in it

Will see after contacting them with some questions

[Marcel Huijser]

Let me know what you think!

[NEIA Nomad]

It looks like they are new, new to the market. Their website shows they won't be available till February. It's an interesting concept.

[BrianW]

A lot of $$$ to do the whole van though!

[Pschitt]

Originally Posted by BrianW

A lot of $$$ to do the whole van though!

Yes, and they still can break any windows and steal what they want inside...

[Nomad Expedition]

I have no problem with putting bars in my van easy enough to do but the locks are the weak link in the system after the windows that lock system looks interesting but they would still try and monkey the regular locks I think we need something that would go over our existing locks.

[AKSeeker]

I installed the Auto-Bolt (4 units) on my 2006 E350 Sportsmobile and I think that they are the most secure and "cleanest" solution to preventing the theft of the van. They are not going to stop the would-be thief from breaking a window and climbing in, or from damaging the door locks, etc. while trying to get the door open,.. but, anything they want to steal will have to be handed out of the broken window, and they are going to be real confused when they can't get any door to open even when they have pulled up the door lock. Chances are they probably won't even crawl in through the broken window, since they won't be able to figure out how to open the door. The inventor, Greg, at Home - The Auto Bolt (586-231-8620) is a great guy to do business with and will take the time to help you "customize" the installation for your particular application. If you want more details of what I did, PM me.

[Smoker]

Originally Posted by AKSeeker

I installed the Auto-Bolt (4 units) on my 2006 E350 Sportsmobile and I think that they are the most secure and "cleanest" solution to preventing the theft of the van. They are not going to stop the would-be thief from breaking a window and climbing in, or from damaging the door locks, etc. while trying to get the door open,.. but, anything they want to steal will have to be handed out of the broken window, and they are going to be real confused when they can't get any door to open even when they have pulled up the door lock. Chances are they probably won't even crawl in through the broken window, since they won't be able to figure out how to open the door. The inventor, Greg, at Home - The Auto Bolt (586-231-8620) is a great guy to do business with and will take the time to help you "customize" the installation for your particular application. If you want more details of what I did, PM me.

This is great info. Can you describe how you installed for the back and side doors (assuming you have barn doors on the side). Or, maybe a picture would do the trick. Was wondering if the install was different in the doors v. the jambs. Thanks

[Marcel Huijser]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am still considering installing the auto bolt too, good to know it went well!